I liked the spookiness of this view; an ominous bridge leading to who knows what. The darkness at the end lies in waiting for the unwary traveler.

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/30/a-bridge-to/feed/2jemskinkFull Blood Moon, Buck Moon, Here Comes an Eclipse!https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/27/full-blood-moon-buck-moon-here-comes-an-eclipse/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/27/full-blood-moon-buck-moon-here-comes-an-eclipse/#commentsFri, 27 Jul 2018 14:13:06 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1348Continue reading Full Blood Moon, Buck Moon, Here Comes an Eclipse!]]>Today’s superstar is the full moon, and this one is being hailed as the longest lunar eclipse of the century!

That’s a lot of hype. Sadly, the eclipse won’t be visible in the United States, because it takes place during daylight here. But it should be exciting for people in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America, who should see a reddish moon.

That’s where the name Blood Moon comes in. Any moon in eclipse typically looks reddish, so it’s always called a Blood Moon.

The July full moon is also called the Buck Moon, referring to the time that deer start to shed their antlers. Other names for the July moon are Thunder Moon and Hay Moon.

Whatever we call it, our moon is deeply tied to our rhythms and cultures on earth.

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/27/full-blood-moon-buck-moon-here-comes-an-eclipse/feed/2jemskinkArctic Sunrise – A Greenpeace Ship with a Brutal Pasthttps://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/23/arctic-sunrise-a-greenpeace-ship-with-a-brutal-past/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/23/arctic-sunrise-a-greenpeace-ship-with-a-brutal-past/#respondMon, 23 Jul 2018 17:42:55 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1322Continue reading Arctic Sunrise – A Greenpeace Ship with a Brutal Past]]>The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise came to Seattle recently for a visit. The ship was touring the Salish Sea and working with the Puyallup Nation to raise awareness about a liquefied natural gas facility being built in Tacoma, the ancestral lands of the Puyallup. The LNG plant and the Trans Mountain Pipeline threaten the health of the Salish Sea, the waters that surround Tacoma, Seattle, and up into Canada.
A crew member tells us about all the controls

Arctic Sunrise is one of three Greenpeace ships that ply the waters worldwide; the other two are the Rainbow Warrior and Esperanza.

Overlooking the Lake Union area in Seattle, where the ship was moored.

While they take actions to protect our marine ecosystems, they also visit ports to meet local people, learn about their environmental issues and educate people about actions they can take to make their communities healthier and more sustainable.

Three years earlier, I had a memorable experience visiting the flagship of Greenpeace, the Rainbow Warrior, when it stopped in Seattle. So, I was excited to learn that the Arctic Sunrise was coming!

An ironic tale told by a crew member: the ship was once a whaling boat! It became available for sale, and Greenpeace eyed it for a new fleet addition. The seller refused to sell it to a group that fights whaling. Greenpeace set up a third party to buy the boat, and the deed was accomplished! Hurrah!

Specs of the boat

The ship is an icebreaker, has a “rounded keelless hull” (for those of you who like tech specs), and can land a helicopter.

From the Greenpeace website:

In 1997, The Arctic Sunrise became the first ship to circumnavigate James Ross Island in the Antarctic, a previously impossible journey until a 200m thick ice shelf connecting the island to the Antarctic continent collapsed. This was just one of the many signs of climate change which the Arctic Sunrise has helped document.

In 1999, a Japanese whaling ship rammed the Arctic Sunrise while Greenpeace was peacefully protesting its illegal whaling around Antarctica. Fortunately, no crew members were injured.

We learned about threats to the Salish Sea from oil refineries and pipelines along the coast.

Aside from their own research, Greenpeace sometimes assists scientists with accessing remote areas.

In 2009, the ship supported a researcher from Cambridge University who was documenting changes in Arctic ice volumes and thickness, as part of climate change studies.

We went below for a short video and saw some crew areas.

Bicycles are the preferred mode of transport when they are in a port.

Greenpeace is known for hanging large banners at protests and confronting illegal whaling, but the staff is also respected for conducting serious scientific research. I volunteered in the Washington, DC, office many years ago, and I know how dedicated the staff is.

No large people need apply!

If you ever get a chance to visit a Greenpeace vessel, I highly recommend it!

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/23/arctic-sunrise-a-greenpeace-ship-with-a-brutal-past/feed/0jemskinkAmerican, British Troops Faced Off, but No One Diedhttps://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/04/american-british-troops-faced-off-but-no-one-died/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/04/american-british-troops-faced-off-but-no-one-died/#commentsWed, 04 Jul 2018 14:32:28 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1296Continue reading American, British Troops Faced Off, but No One Died]]>Less than 100 years after Americans won independence from the British, way up in the Pacific Northwest, a little-known squabble took place between the two. In the late 1800s, Americans and British soldiers averted actually firing on each other.

A Bucolic Setting

San Juan Island, sections of which today are part of a National Historical Park, had a pleasant temperate climate, and farming, fishing and timber opportunities that appealed to several nations. In the 1800s, it had been visited but not yet claimed. Eventually, ships from England and the U.S. mainland brought military contingents to occupy the territory. Both staked claims to the island and in 1859 they agreed to jointly occupy the island, separated at the 49th parallel, until the water boundary could be settled.

The Land Divided

English Camp occupied the northwest end, while American Camp occupied the southern tip. Soon, British-owned Hudson’s Bay Company located a large sheep farming operation there. In time, other farm animals and agricultural operations were added. The large Belle Vue Sheep Farm was a strategic move on the part of the British to fully establish their claim to the land.

American Camp laundry house

Underlying tensions persisted between the two. The Americans tried to tax Hudson’s Bay but no taxes were paid. Though both countries had military camps at opposite ends of the island, things remained relatively calm between the two communities. Officers and their families even visited with each other.

Changes in the Wind

Summer 1859, everything changed. An American settler shot and killed a pig belonging to the Hudson’s Bay Company. He claimed that the pig had wandered onto his property and, therefore, he shot the trespasser. Though the pig’s owner, who ran the HBC operation, made little fuss about the incident, things escalated rapidly. The time is known as the Pig War crisis. Tensions continued to simmer, with more and more American settlers coming to the island, many squatting on HBC land.

The British wanted the American settlers removed from the island, but American officials said no way. British warships sailed to the harbor, while troops at both camps multiplied. Both sides stood their ground but no war ensued.

Peaceful Solution

Finally, the disputed water boundary went to arbitration by a third party – Germany. An arbitration panel settled the boundary between Canada and the island, and the San Juan Islands became American possessions. In 1871, the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Washington, and a year later the British left the island.

The Pig War had ended diplomatically and peacefully.

Today, little remains of the two camps but visitors can wander their spectacular landscapes.

American Camp

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/04/american-british-troops-faced-off-but-no-one-died/feed/6jemskinkLow-Low Tidehttps://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/02/low-low-tide/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/02/low-low-tide/#commentsMon, 02 Jul 2018 15:07:27 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1277Continue reading Low-Low Tide]]>A couple weeks ago, we had some super low tides in Seattle. It’s always fun to go out and explore the exposed shoreline. This time, the vistas were amazing!

My photos were taken from the West Seattle neighborhood, which lies on a large peninsula across Elliott Bay from downtown. The tide was at -3.7.

Normally, this area is completely covered.This little pier now allows a new view from below!

The normal view!

Usual view from the top of the pier.

Egg case of moon snailAnother egg case

AnemoneJellyfish

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/07/02/low-low-tide/feed/10jemskinkFull Moon, Empty Strawberry Bowlhttps://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/27/full-moon-empty-strawberry-bowl/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/27/full-moon-empty-strawberry-bowl/#commentsWed, 27 Jun 2018 18:19:48 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1272Continue reading Full Moon, Empty Strawberry Bowl]]>The June Full Moon is called the Strawberry Moon. The Algonquin tribes associated this moon with the gathering of strawberries.

The June Full Moon is also known as the Rose Moon, Honey Moon, and Mead Moon. Perhaps it is the time of collecting honey, picking roses and making mead.

I have not noticed a pink hue to the moon in the past couple days. The night before it was officially full, I gazed upon a lovely, if not ominous, moon surrounded by swirly clouds. I especially liked the way the moon was lighting up the clouds around it.

I quickly shot a bunch of hand-held photos. Not sharply in focus, they do not need to be. Think of them as atmospheric, dreamy.

On the following night of the real full moon, I looked out and saw a crystal clear white moon, with no clouds. Not as interesting, so I did not shoot it.

Strawberry moon? I have been waiting for my strawberries to ripen. They seem late and not many so far this June.

True, we have had cooler, cloudy weather, but I usually am harvesting many berries by now.

There is promise: strawberry blossoms and unripened fruit.

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/27/full-moon-empty-strawberry-bowl/feed/8jemskinkJune Bughttps://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/16/june-bug/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/16/june-bug/#commentsSat, 16 Jun 2018 17:07:44 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1257Continue reading June Bug]]>It’s officially June! I found this ten-lined June bug, or June beetle, right next to my front door! That was really strange, because just minutes before I was singing a line from a Lucinda Williams song that goes “June bug versus the hurricane…”

I had only seen one of these beetles in my yard once before.

This large beetle is a member of the scarab family. The grubs live underground and feed on plant roots. the adults feed on plant foliage. There are several varieties of beetles called June bugs and they all look different. Another common one is a large green one.

I’m glad this attractive one came to visit. I discovered that they hiss!

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/16/june-bug/feed/3jemskinkWhere Birds and Planes Flyhttps://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/13/where-birds-and-planes-fly/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/13/where-birds-and-planes-fly/#commentsWed, 13 Jun 2018 17:48:31 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1249Continue reading Where Birds and Planes Fly]]>Birding at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge in Hoquiam, Washington, I walked from the parking area to the trailhead, past these old structures at the little Bowerman Airport.

The absence of people and planes, and the starkness of the hangars against the surrounding landscape and big sky drew me to photograph them.

The blue and white buildings; the blue and white sky; white building and white flowers.

Last time I was out here, the restaurant was still operating and was bustling with hungry customers. The retro décor and classic diner menu were lots of fun. Back then when my birding group stopped there for lunch I thought, what a strange place for a restaurant. But now I see it was likely a sort of landmark that drew birders, pilots, as well as locals for good food and company. Now, it was closed, enhancing or perhaps causing the atmosphere of abandonment.

Part of the Port of Grays Harbor, this airfield has one runway. The facility has fuel, a pilot’s lounge, rental hangars, and is touted as “jet-capable.”

The hangars have seen better days and I wondered whether there were any planes inside. What could be the purpose of the oddly shaped roofs?

I don’t know how often planes use the airport, but nearby, birds and birders flock to the wetland habitat at the wildlife refuge. Particularly in spring, the salt marsh and mudflats host thousands of migrating shorebirds. Raptors also are drawn to the abundance of prey.

This landscape is a magnet for wings of different sizes and shapes.

]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/13/where-birds-and-planes-fly/feed/15viewjemskinkA Pigeon by Any Other Namehttps://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/05/a-pigeon-by-any-other-name/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/05/a-pigeon-by-any-other-name/#commentsTue, 05 Jun 2018 19:55:59 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1233Continue reading A Pigeon by Any Other Name]]>We call them pigeons. Birders have called them rock doves. Apparently now, the powers that be in the bird world have declared them to be rock pigeons.

One of the most familiar birds worldwide, these chunky, multicolored birds have adapted so well that we can find them in cities and farm fields, in parks and on rocky cliffs. They are members of the Columbidae family, along with all other pigeons and doves.

Their natural diet includes seeds and fruits, but they’re excellent scavengers, loitering in places where people gather and tend to drop morsels that can be snatched. They are equally creative in using various spaces for their nests.
Pigeon skills in navigation and homing proved valuable during World Wars I and II, when they were used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to carry messages.

Numbers Declining

Though pigeons seem ubiquitous, the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) estimates that the population has declined by almost 50 percent since 1966. The survey is a long-term, large-scale cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the Canadian Wildlife Service.

The program began in 1966, led by Chandler Robbins, a researcher at Patuxent and good friend of Rachel Carson, who penned the landmark book Silent Spring. Her book alerted the world to the effects of pesticides on bird populations, but was considered quite controversial when it was published. Robbins died in 2017, just short of his 99th birthday. He was a renowned ornithologist and often birded with Carson. You can read more about them at http://www.rachelcarson.org/mChanRobbins.aspx

The BBS continues to be an important tool in avian research and the formation of conservation programs.

The global population of pigeons is estimated at 120 million and though declining in North America, they are not currently a species of concern.

Watching pigeon behavior can be a fun past time. Recently while waiting at a bus stop in downtown Seattle, I watched a group of them ambling about. It’s fun to make your own narrative of what’s going on.

Forming a strategy Gone to the dark side Walking the line Going their separate ways
]]>https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/06/05/a-pigeon-by-any-other-name/feed/5jemskinkOn Volcanoes, Part 2https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/05/18/on-volcanoes-part-2/
https://joanmillernaturalviews.com/2018/05/18/on-volcanoes-part-2/#respondFri, 18 May 2018 14:37:29 +0000http://joanmillernaturalviews.com/?p=1191Continue reading On Volcanoes, Part 2]]>

The tag on my souvenir bottle of Mount St. Helens ash reads:

On May 18, 1980, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake triggered an enormous landslide, uncorking a monstrous volcanic eruption which blew 1300 feet off the top and north face of Mount St. Helens. The blast relocated 1.5 cubic miles of mountain and flattened 230 square miles of timberland, killing virtually all life within its zone.

Superheated gas and clouds of volcanic ash shot more than 17 miles into the atmosphere and around the earth. Hot ash melted ice and snow, triggering a mudflow and flood containing more than 130 million cubic yards of debris.

Thirty-eight years ago this country witnessed a startling natural event within our own borders. I am old enough to remember the disastrous eruption of Mount St. Helens. I was living on the east coast at the time, so it was basically a drama unfolding on TV. Within a day of the blast, ash had traveled to the midwestern states, and a couple days later fine ash had even reached the northeast.

Back then, I never imagined I would move to the west coast or ever visit Mount St. Helens, but in 2007, after moving west, I did visit the National Volcanic Monument.

Approaching the volcano, I saw the path of the winds and ash: downed trees all facing the same way, layers of ash still in and around Toutle River.

The Toutle River, with Mount St. Helens in the background

The blast zone, I thought. The blast zone, where all things in its path were blown down, covered in ash or obliterated. Once green, forested lands were now gray.

It was a spooky landscape. Scary words like lahar, pyroclastic flows and blast zone echoed in my head.

The eruption had changed the shape of the mountain and filled Spirit Lake with ash, debris and trees. Fifty-seven people had died.

The visitor center has an excellent, sobering documentary about the volcano. Images of thick billowing ash clouds rising from the crater are singed in my memories. They are reminiscent of Vesuvius.

Visitor Center

Today, vegetation continues to rebound, and the volcano still sends up steam.

From 2004-2008 the volcano reawakened with some dome building. There are frequent small, local earthquakes. Geologists continuously monitor its activity.

After driving through the Mount St. Helens blast zone back then, and experiencing ash fall from wildfires in eastern Washington just a couple years ago, I could imagine what it was like to suffer the ash clouds from St. Helens. I would never choose to live so close to a mountain that could erupt, or to forests that could burn.

Disclaimer: My images are 10 years old, so these scenes might look slightly different today.